2007 National Recreation Trail designations

Secretary Kempthorne Designates
40 New National Recreation Trails in 22 States

Washington, D.C. - The country's 1,000th National Recreation Trail
will honor one of the heroes of September 11, 2001. The Rich
Guadagno Memorial Trail in Oregon will commemorate the life of the
devoted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge Manager who died aboard
Flight 93. The Guadagno Trail is one of 40 newly designated National
Recreation Trails announced by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne.

"The National Recreation Trail System connects Americans with the beauty
of the great outdoors," said Kempthorne. "It is entirely fitting that
the 1000th trail be named after Rich Guadagno, a man who dedicated his
life to preserving nature and sharing his passion for the land with
others."

The Guadagno Trail is located in the Baskett Slough National Wildlife
Refuge where Guadagno once worked. The 1.75-mile pathway meanders through
rare Oregon white oak savanna and woodlands, offering views of the Willamette
Valley which contains the world's largest population of the endangered
Fender's blue butterfly. The trail will be formally dedicated in a ceremony
led by Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett at 4 p.m. PDT
on Saturday, June 2, 2007. The new National Recreation Trails showcase
the diversity of the American landscape. They range from the quarter
mile Balfour Riverwalk Trail in downtown Attleboro, Mass. to the 1,500-mile
long Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail, considered
by some as the water version of the Appalachian Trail for its length
and scenic features.

The projects designated as National Recreation Trails in 2007 are listed below; click on any state name to see more on some featured NRTs in that state:

East Bank Trail: Milwaukee County Dept. of Parks, Recreation, and
Culture

National Recreation Trails are components of the National Trails System
and recognize already existing trails that connect people to resources
and improve their quality of life. The program is jointly administered
by the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance
Program and the U.S. Forest Service in conjunction with other federal
and nonprofit partners, notably American Trails. Each of the trails
inducted into the system will receive a certificate of designation and
trail markers. They join a network that contains more than 11,000 miles
of trails. More information is available at the National
Recreation Trails website, hosted by American Trails.

Each year nominations
for designation of new National
Recreation Trails may be submitted.
Details of the program may be found
on the NRT website hosted by American
Trails: (www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails).
The National Recreation Trail Program
recognizes trails that provide opportunities
for all Americans to enjoy the out-of-doors
and improve the quality of life of
our communities.